* The Free Beacon is often a good place to dump oppo for some Republicans. With that being said, you may recall this story from late August…
Democratic congressional hopeful Sean Casten said he thought President Donald Trump had a “tremendous amount in common” with al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
Illinois Democrat Sean Casten, who found himself in hot water after his belief that President Donald Trump has a “tremendous amount in common” with terrorist Osama bin Laden was revealed by the Free Beacon, has also told voters there are “Nazis” in the White House. […]
“I don’t think you need to be an engineer to know that it’s a bad idea to have Nazis and racists in the White House,” Casten said during the August [2017] event.
In October [2017] he only slightly amended his statement, saying, “Nobody should have to use a calculator to answer the question whether it’s a good idea to have Nazis and racists in the White House.”
Illinois Democratic congressional candidate Sean Casten insisted Monday that an advisor to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh intentionally made a white supremacist signal during a televised Senate confirmation hearing.
Casten and Republican incumbent Rep. Peter Roskam, who represents Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, met Monday for a live-streamed debate moderated by suburban Chicago newspaper The Daily Herald. During the debate, moderators asked about Casten’s claim that there were “Nazis” working in the Donald Trump administration.
The energy executive defended his comments, citing former Trump advisor Sebastian Gorka as someone he thought was a Nazi who worked in the administration. “We have an obligation to call that out when we see it,” he said.
“There’s a problem when we have Zina Bash this week flashing white power signs behind the Brett Kavanaugh hearings,” he said. “How do we not stand up to that?”
Take a very deep breath before commenting, people. Then thoroughly exhale. Maybe walk around a bit. Have a drink of water. Thanks.
* Related…
* GOP U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam says Democrat Sean Casten is ‘channeling’ President Trump: “The irony is: Sean, who is Donald Trump’s biggest critic, is ironically emulating him insofar as he’s advocating the politics of ridicule,” Roskam said during a meeting of the Daily Herald Editorial Board. “And the proof of that is calling Republicans a party of deplorables. He’s retweeted that. He’s called Republican donors morons.” Casten, a businessman from Downers Grove, said he’s apologized for the bin Laden comment but attacked Roskam for not being more critical of Trump. “If Peter doesn’t appreciate my sense of humor or is offended by me, I’m sorry,” Casten said. “But we have a big problem with silent complicity in the overwhelming majority of the Republican House right now. We are facing an existential crisis to democracy. We have a president who believes that he is above the rule of law.”
* ‘We are really, totally at odds on this;’ Roskam, Casten sharply disagree on 2017 tax law: Those cuts won’t pay for themselves, [Casten] says. And failing to address income inequality puts the country “at levels that, in history, are getting dangerously close to the levels that preceded revolutions,” he said. Roskam criticized the implication of a potential revolution as “hyperbole.” “Sean, we are not at risk of revolution in this country,” he said. “Peter, I certainly hope you’re right,” Casten said.
Casten needs the focus to remain on Roskam and his enabling of Trump and his enormous tax give away to the top 1%. In that sense, these statements are a distraction.
No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS,” Trump said. “I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton.”
View this interactive content on CNN.com
Hewitt pushed back again, saying that Obama is “not sympathetic” to ISIS and “hates” and is “trying to kill them.”
“I don’t care,” Trump said, according to a show transcript. “He was the founder. His, the way he got out of Iraq was that that was the founding of ISIS, okay?”
- Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 2:44 pm:
There’s enough to go after without the Nazi rhetoric. Rookie mistakes by Casten.
Meanwhile Roskham is positioning himself as a healthcare hero in his ads… wake up Sean.
Casten is a marginal candidate who obtained the nomination with a plurality of 1,790 votes out of a total of 67,013 cast. He may not be ready for prime time.
Casten got 19,774 votes out of 67.013 cast; how many candidates would have to be in the race for .03% (1,790/67,013) of the the vote to be the largest plurality? Common sense calls this result impossible.
Still, your point about him “not [being] ready for prime time,” is well taken. Isn’t this the fear as the electorate(s) get more polarized, and Bernies and Trumps start to run more often? Tried and true politicos may be a bit more boring to the electorate, but at least they don’t wedge their feet in the mouths as often.
=
=Many Dems don’t even realize how crazy they sound. That’s how severe the Trump Derangement Syndrome has become.=
I think the mistake is in thinking that you can beat Trump at his own game by upping the rhetoric and ridiculous statements. Dems (and Repubs as well) need to continue to remind themselves that the behavior of Trump isn’t normal. You can condemn it without feeling compelled to emulate it.
It bothers me that that the Zina Bash story was debunked because she’s Jewish and Hispanic. How about because she’s a Harvard-trained lawyer, a former clerk to Kavanaugh, and a top lawyer? Aren’t those credentials good enough to show that she isn’t fringe? Why is it we judge her character by looking at how she was born instead of what she has done?
@Get Real: I’m fairly center, perhaps even center-left…at times…and I thought the Zina Bash story was shameful and idiotic. Not everyone on the left is a crackpot. Kindly stop with the generalizations.
Wordslinger - I’ve been moved by this. Just can’t punch the ticket for Casten.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Thursday, Sep 13, 18 @ 7:09 am:
Kinda like the evangelicals who support Trump in spite of his infidelities. Kinda like Republicans who support Rauner in spite of his being pro-choice.
Regular citizens vote for Casten because they want their SALT deductions back and they don’t want to lose their healthcare.
People don’t vote for a candidate because they want that person to be their friend.
An ugly hammer will hit a nail same as a beautiful one.
It seems like the raison d’etre of the “Free Beacon” is to post negative “news” about Democrats right before the election. They seem to be an enabler of Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress even more than Dan Proft. Much ado about nothing here and very unlikely to sway the many Republicans that will be abandoning their party this year in DuPage County because of Trump.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Thursday, Sep 13, 18 @ 8:11 am:
==A lot of Dems were taking the crackpot theory about Zina Bash seriously.==
Hilarious. You decry people who believe in one crackpot theory by providing a new crackpot theory.
There are no statistics to support that 1. A lot of people believed this story. 2. Those people were more likely to vote Democratic.
There is so much irony to you post you have cured my anemia.
2016 is over - Trump is in and he has changed everything. It won’t go back. Stop pretending this is a blip. It’s not. The judicial branch has been reformed. It won’t go back. Obama’s executive orders are gone - like every executive order not codified and passed into law.
You want to run for office? Tell us where you plan to take us from here - 2018. Impeachment won’t give us 2015. Nothing will. Obamacare couldn’t save itself - it’s done.
Democrats must stop telling us that today isn’t real. I like today more than I liked yesterday. I will not support a candidate pining for it.
Stop acting like Whigs incensed over populist President Jackson. It didn’t work then, and it won’t now.
- slow down - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 2:36 pm:
Casten needs the focus to remain on Roskam and his enabling of Trump and his enormous tax give away to the top 1%. In that sense, these statements are a distraction.
- 'member when? - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 2:37 pm:
No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS,” Trump said. “I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton.”
View this interactive content on CNN.com
Hewitt pushed back again, saying that Obama is “not sympathetic” to ISIS and “hates” and is “trying to kill them.”
“I don’t care,” Trump said, according to a show transcript. “He was the founder. His, the way he got out of Iraq was that that was the founding of ISIS, okay?”
- Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 2:44 pm:
There’s enough to go after without the Nazi rhetoric. Rookie mistakes by Casten.
Meanwhile Roskham is positioning himself as a healthcare hero in his ads… wake up Sean.
- Practical Politics - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 3:22 pm:
Casten is a marginal candidate who obtained the nomination with a plurality of 1,790 votes out of a total of 67,013 cast. He may not be ready for prime time.
- Anon0091 - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 3:26 pm:
‘member when? is exactly right about Trump, of course. But Sean has talking points for a reason. He should use them more and muse less.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 3:41 pm:
I doubt if the Free Beacon and Tucker move to many persuadables in that district.
- Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 3:44 pm:
Gorka is a Nazi.
https://forward.com/news/national/366181/exclusive-nazi-allied-group-claims-top-trump-aide-sebastian-gorka-as-sworn/
- DarkDante - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 4:05 pm:
Casten got 19,774 votes out of 67.013 cast; how many candidates would have to be in the race for .03% (1,790/67,013) of the the vote to be the largest plurality? Common sense calls this result impossible.
Still, your point about him “not [being] ready for prime time,” is well taken. Isn’t this the fear as the electorate(s) get more polarized, and Bernies and Trumps start to run more often? Tried and true politicos may be a bit more boring to the electorate, but at least they don’t wedge their feet in the mouths as often.
My 2 cents.
- GOPgal - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 4:37 pm:
Many Dems don’t even realize how crazy they sound. That’s how severe the Trump Derangement Syndrome has become.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 4:48 pm:
=
=Many Dems don’t even realize how crazy they sound. That’s how severe the Trump Derangement Syndrome has become.=
I think the mistake is in thinking that you can beat Trump at his own game by upping the rhetoric and ridiculous statements. Dems (and Repubs as well) need to continue to remind themselves that the behavior of Trump isn’t normal. You can condemn it without feeling compelled to emulate it.
- anon - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 5:05 pm:
It bothers me that that the Zina Bash story was debunked because she’s Jewish and Hispanic. How about because she’s a Harvard-trained lawyer, a former clerk to Kavanaugh, and a top lawyer? Aren’t those credentials good enough to show that she isn’t fringe? Why is it we judge her character by looking at how she was born instead of what she has done?
- get real - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 5:39 pm:
A lot of Dems were taking the crackpot theory about Zina Bash seriously. Shows how unhinged and full of hate the left truly is these days.
- Yiddishcowboy - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 8:22 pm:
@Get Real: I’m fairly center, perhaps even center-left…at times…and I thought the Zina Bash story was shameful and idiotic. Not everyone on the left is a crackpot. Kindly stop with the generalizations.
- Yiddishcowboy - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 8:25 pm:
@Anon: I know of no Jew who’s gonna flash a hate symbol like what was foolishly alleged. So, yes, it’s enough that she’s Jewish.
- Moved - Wednesday, Sep 12, 18 @ 8:54 pm:
Wordslinger - I’ve been moved by this. Just can’t punch the ticket for Casten.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Thursday, Sep 13, 18 @ 7:09 am:
Kinda like the evangelicals who support Trump in spite of his infidelities. Kinda like Republicans who support Rauner in spite of his being pro-choice.
Regular citizens vote for Casten because they want their SALT deductions back and they don’t want to lose their healthcare.
People don’t vote for a candidate because they want that person to be their friend.
An ugly hammer will hit a nail same as a beautiful one.
- Major Gerard - Thursday, Sep 13, 18 @ 7:33 am:
It seems like the raison d’etre of the “Free Beacon” is to post negative “news” about Democrats right before the election. They seem to be an enabler of Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress even more than Dan Proft. Much ado about nothing here and very unlikely to sway the many Republicans that will be abandoning their party this year in DuPage County because of Trump.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Thursday, Sep 13, 18 @ 8:11 am:
==A lot of Dems were taking the crackpot theory about Zina Bash seriously.==
Hilarious. You decry people who believe in one crackpot theory by providing a new crackpot theory.
There are no statistics to support that 1. A lot of people believed this story. 2. Those people were more likely to vote Democratic.
There is so much irony to you post you have cured my anemia.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Sep 13, 18 @ 9:14 am:
2016 is over - Trump is in and he has changed everything. It won’t go back. Stop pretending this is a blip. It’s not. The judicial branch has been reformed. It won’t go back. Obama’s executive orders are gone - like every executive order not codified and passed into law.
You want to run for office? Tell us where you plan to take us from here - 2018. Impeachment won’t give us 2015. Nothing will. Obamacare couldn’t save itself - it’s done.
Democrats must stop telling us that today isn’t real. I like today more than I liked yesterday. I will not support a candidate pining for it.
Stop acting like Whigs incensed over populist President Jackson. It didn’t work then, and it won’t now.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Sep 13, 18 @ 9:17 am:
Quit commiserating over 2016 conspiracy theories and start leading in our new world. I don’t vote for whiners.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 13, 18 @ 9:22 am:
===I like today more than I liked yesterday===
So, you’re a Janus fan now?